Thousands march to derelict Casement Park to demand its redevelopment

Thousands of GAA players and supporters have marched to the derelict Casement Park stadium in Belfast to demand its redevelopment.

Following the noisy parade through west Belfast, a rally held adjacent to the crumbling ruins of the GAA ground heard calls for the Stormont Executive and UK government to end the lengthy delays in rebuilding the sporting venue.

The event was staged ahead of Saturday’s Ulster Championship quarter-final game between Antrim and Armagh men’s senior gaelic football teams in nearby Corrigan Park, a venue with a limited capacity of 4,000.

Plans for a 34,000-capacity redeveloped Casement Park remain in limbo due to a major funding gap of around £150 million

Stormont ministers committed £62.5 million to Casement in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp it along with football’s Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.

While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed for several years because of legal challenges by local residents.

With planning approval finally granted four years ago, the £270 million project has since been held up over a dispute over funding.

In September, the UK government ended hopes that the west Belfast venue would host Euro 2028 soccer games when it said it would not bridge the funding gap to deliver the reconstruction in time.

In addition to the £62.5 million committed by Stormont, the Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million while the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15 million.

The UK government has said it will decide if it will make a contribution to the build costs following this summer’s UK-wide Spending Review.

However, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has made clear that even if the Government